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Midsize Sedans Comparison Thread - READ ONLY

12297 messages,  Last post on Apr 13, 2007 at 12:55 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Passat, Mazda MAZDA6, Ford Fusion, Subaru Legacy, Saturn Aura, Sedan

Messages Page 344 of 1231

#3422 of 12297 Re: News - Hyundai Azera Top-Ranked Car [backy] by driverdm

May 19, 2006 (7:42 am)

Replying to: backy (May 19, 2006 6:59 am)
"Performance? I know the Sonata V6 beats the Mazda6s there."
 
here, yet again there is a difference in opinion. Performance and acceleration are two seperate but connected things. In acceleration the Sonata is better, but no one would say it is a better performer. When you talk performance, you talk slalom, steering feel, braking, acceleration, handling, etc. And the Mazda is a definitely better performer in those criteria.
 
The bottom of the post you replied to was comparing the Mazda6 and the Sonata, but not the 3 Series. I understand that would have been hard to decipher since I didn't write it before listing the comparison. Both you and I would drive a 3-Series over the Mazda or the Sonata as well as out impressions on the interior of the two.
 
PS. I have not driven at the legal limit since before September 25, 2004 when I brought the Mazda home from Boston at 90mph.
 
Zoom zoom 4 ever

#3423 of 12297 Re: News - Hyundai Azera Top-Ranked Car [bobad] by driverdm

May 19, 2006 (7:48 am)

Replying to: bobad (May 19, 2006 6:09 am)
"I drove the Mazda. I admit it handled a tad better than the Sonata in hard maneuvers."
 
A tad better bobad? Are you serious? You also said
 
"The Mazda's suspension was obviously tuned for sporty handling, which is a nice way to say it rode rough."
 
Every BMW is faulted for the same exact thing. The ride is not as soft as other vehicles. It is a trade off. Now we all know the Sonata's ride is very soft. So how is it that the Sonata's ride is set on soft while the 6 is on sporty, and the 6's suspension is better suited for the curves, and the 6s steering is set so extremely accurate, but it is only a "tad" better in handling manuevers?
 
Also how come in every comparison, the Fusion is sighted as the best handler in the group. The Fusion is based off the 6 but handles and drives even softer than the 6. Now if in every comparison, no matter what magazine the Fusion is sighted for handling better than the Sonata by a significant margin. Wouldn't the 6 have to be even better than the Fusion and thus far better in handling than the Sonata.
 
Zoom Zoom USA

#3428 of 12297 Re: Hyundai club [bobad] by jimmy81

May 19, 2006 (8:39 am)

The Sonata is a decent car, but what aweful styling for the front end. Looks like an Altima from the mid 90s.
 
There's a procedure for that now, isn't there? Can't they just copy the front end of the Accord to fix it? They copied the rear of it.

#3429 of 12297 Re: News - Hyundai Azera Top-Ranked Car [driverdm] by backy

May 19, 2006 (8:46 am)

Replying to: driverdm (May 19, 2006 7:42 am)
I think of acceleration to be a subset of performance, not separate. The Mazda6 is better in handling, which I've already noted. Steering feel of both cars is just fine--I didn't notice any big difference there. In braking, the Sonata bested its competition (Accord, Camry, Fusion) in recent comparos. Unfortunately the Mazda6 wasn't included in those so we don't have a direct comparison. Other numbers, not from direct competition, show the two cars are comparable in braking and in acceleration.
 
It comes down to what you are looking for in a car. For someone like you who likes to drive around at super-legal speeds at all times and therefore needs sharp handling and braking, the Mazda6 is a good fit. For someone who wants a lot of interior room with strong performance, but canyon-carving isn't a priority, the Sonata is a good fit.

#3430 of 12297 Pulled the trigger on the Accord by ftrain

May 19, 2006 (10:19 am)

I bought an Accord LX SE this week after also looking at the Camry, Mazda6, Sonata and Fusion. The Accord ended up winning out because for us it offered the best combination of style, overall performance, and most importantly, expected reliability for our money. We have every intention of this being a 10 year car for us--hoping we can get as many as 150K miles out of it--so decided to go with what we thought offered the best chance of hitting that mark with the least amount of trouble and lowest TCO. Nobody can see the future, but I feel like we played the odds.
 
In terms of style, I technically liked the interior more on the new Camry, particularly the attractive translucent dials on the center console. But the Toyota dealers wouldn't budge on price, with the Accord coming in significantly lower. It just fell out of my budget. I really like the Mazda6 styling, but not more than the Accord's. I liked the Fusion styling in general, but loathe that same stereo brick that they put in every vehicle. I know I can replace it, but that's not really the point. Their choice to stick that tired unit in a vehicle that they are marketing at least partly on style says volumes to me about the company. Style is a completely subjective thing, and I don't begrudge anyone their choices. With that said, the Sonata did exactly nothing for me in interior styling. I tested the Sonata a few hours after the Honda, and I felt like it was night and day. Where the Accord felt very well put together, clean, stylish and contemporary, with all the interior styling kinks worked out through lots of experience and trial and error, the Sonata was nice but very much felt like a car that hasn't been able to benefit from that same experience. And for me, that ended up counting for a lot. It was worth paying more.
 
In terms of performance, the Mazda6 may have been the most fun to drive, but I also liked the Accord and Camry. Sonata not so much. Might have been the particular car I drove--4 cyl. GLS--but the steering was very loose, and there was a hesitation in the accelerator that I didn't feel in the other cars. Again, might have been that car. Fusion was nice, but felt heavy. Plus it had poor rear visibility and blind spots.
 
Finally, proven, long-term reliability was the big deciding factor, and that leaned toward Camry or Accord. Again, Camry didn't meet our price point, so that left Accord. Fusion is a Ford, and I couldn't buy the first edition of a new Ford model. Too many question marks. Same for the Sonata. As much as I liked the warranty, the bumper to bumper only lasts 5 years, and the years I'm worried about are years 6-10, when the car crosses 100K miles.
 
So, it all led us to Accord. We're excited. I appreciate all the comments people have posted here that helped me do the research to make the purchase. This forum has been a big help.

#3431 of 12297 Re: News - Hyundai Azera Top-Ranked Car [driverdm] by badgerfan

May 19, 2006 (10:35 am)

Replying to: driverdm (May 19, 2006 7:48 am)
"Also how come in every comparison, the Fusion is sighted as the best handler in the group. The Fusion is based off the 6 but handles and drives even softer than the 6. Now if in every comparison, no matter what magazine the Fusion is sighted for handling better than the Sonata by a significant margin. Wouldn't the 6 have to be even better than the Fusion and thus far better in handling than the Sonata. "
 
When Ford modified the Mazda6 platform, if I recall correctly, they improved the body stiffness. This can allow them to tune the suspension a bit softer without giving up handling characteristics. Thus it is conceivable that Fusion could handled even better than Mazda6 without punishing you on rough roads.
 
Get the best of both worlds, good handling without a punishing ride with Fusion/Milan. Also a V-6 Fusion can be had for about $1K-$2K less than the lowest price V-6 CamCords as well, maybe not matching Sonata in price, but not out of line either.

Messages Page 344 of 1231

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